"It surprised me. I think a lot of people aren't aware of how bad this problem is, and I thought I could be part of a growing solution to address those issues of hunger and homelessness in Wisconsin, especially right here in central Wisconsin," Duffy said.
Duffy hosted Wednesday's Hunger and Homelessness Summit in Wausau.

He says nearly 14 percent of people in central and northern Wisconsin faced food hardships in 2011 and 2012.

Thousands spent time in homeless shelters.

But how these issues look in our part of the state is much different than in other areas.

"I think when you think of homelessness, you often times think of urban centers. But the fact is, we have it right here. One of the issues is it's harder to address in smaller communities," Duffy said.

More than 125 people came together Wednesday to give their input and learn about hunger and homelessness issues.